Disability in the United Kingdom

Overview

Accessibility of products and services to disabled people a government report. (Mar, UK Parliament)

Stop trying to recruit unicorns with acorns. Incisive description of how accessibility roles are undervalued, underfunded, and incorrectly designed:

“I've seen it time and time again. People hire an accessibility specialist because it's a hot topic and it's always good publicity. But then they just leave that person to drown in an environment and an organisation where they are not supported.” (Jan, Craig Abbott)

Choice is not an option The experiences of people with dwarfism using self-service technology. (2023, Alter)

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Housing

Disabled high-rise residents ‘still at risk’ seven years after Grenfell fire, after the government's failure to implement evacuation plans. (Jun, the Guardian)

Disability campaigners lose legal fight over Grenfell recommendation “Campaigners have lost their High Court battle with the government over its decision not to implement evacuation plans for disabled high-rise residents.” (2023, BBC)

‘We just want our homes not to hurt us’: “There are 104,000 people on the waiting list for an accessible or adaptable home. But not enough are being built, so many disabled people and families with disabled children are left in temporary accommodation for years” (2023, Big Issue)

Outrage as ministers reject post-Grenfell safety plans for disabled people “Personal fire evacuation plans were in public inquiry’s proposals, which ministers had said they would ‘accept in full’” (2022, the Guardian) See further detail on inside housing.

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Disability and ageing – time to think outside our silos? (2022, Centre for Better Ageing)

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17 accessible sex toys and aids for anyone with a disability (Jul, Disability Horizons)

Getting to grips with an extra thumb “An emerging area of future technology is motor augmentation – using motorised wearable devices such as exoskeletons or extra robotic body parts to advance our motor capabilities beyond current biological limitations.” (May, University of Cambridge)

Assistive Technology Changes Lives: an assessment of AT need and capacity in England:

“There was a notable lack of joined up thinking, and missed opportunity for holistic AT delivery that considered the whole individual, across their life-course and diverse needs. Many people were found to be waiting months - and even years - to access essential AT products, while discussions over who would fund what prevailed.” (2023, Global Disability Innovation Hub)

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Impact

Racism worsened Covid health outcomes for Black Disabled people “The Commission’s findings highlighted a number of issues including the difficulties faced by members of this community in accessing public health information, the government’s lack of engagement with Black Disabled people who the report says also experienced discrimination when accessing social services.” (2023, The Voice)

‘Government Just Made it Worse’: COVID’s Disproportionate Impact on Disabled People of Colour Revealed. (2023, Byline Times)

Covid-19 and the Crisis in Social Care: Exploring the Experiences of Disabled People in the Pandemic: “the social care crisis has challenged the goal of independent living.”. (2022, CUP)

COVID-19 pandemic impact on psychotropic prescribing for adults with intellectual disability: an observational study in English specialist community services: "The pandemic caused an increase in psychotropic prescribing associated with lockdown severity and urban settings." (2022, BJPsych)

Health and healthcare for people with disabilities in the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic: “As the UK opens up, it is important that health care services and social policy address the poor mental health and social isolation of people with disability so that the inequalities occurring early in the pandemic do not become further entrenched.” (2022, Disability and Health Journal)

Documenting the Pandemic for Disabled people: Covid Disability Archive (2022)

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Response

First COVID-19 Inquiry Report Revealed: "Failure to Take into Account Vulnerabilities and Inequalities in Pre-Pandemic Planning”. (Jul, Disability Rights UK)

Disabled people an ‘afterthought’ in pandemic response, Covid inquiry told. (2023, Open Democracy)

COVID Inquiry Hears About Government Disregard of Disabled People:

“Issues highlighted included the greater susceptibility of Disabled people with long term health conditions to respiratory disease; the greater likelihood of transmission in Care Homes and other residential settings; the increased risks by virtue of receiving care and support; the discriminatory barriers to receiving services and the cyclical nature of poverty and disability.” (2023, Disability Rights UK)

‘They gave her a bed to die in’: family of woman with Down’s Syndrome denied intensive care seek answers from Covid-19 inquiry. (2022, the Guardian)

Disabled people are being left out of COVID recovery. “Here are five ways to change that” (2022, the Conversation)

‘Completely Inhumane’: Government’s Relaxed Approach to COVID Represents a Regression for Disabled People’s Rights (2022, Byline Times)

Booster jabs are vital – why is it so difficult for clinically vulnerable people to access them? (2021, the Guardian)

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Living with COVID-19

‘A 30-second walk would exhaust me beyond reason’: Natacha’s life with long Covid. (Jun, the Guardian)

Two-thirds of UK workers with long Covid have faced unfair treatment, says report (based on survey of 3,000). (2023, the Guardian)

Living with long Covid series exploring the “millions of lives impacted by long Covid” (2022, the Guardian)

Doctors with long Covid say they have been denied disability benefits. (2022, the Guardian)

Alarm after EHRC says long Covid should not be treated as disability (2022, the Guardian)

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DPAC are BACK: disabled people block roads, protesting against welfare reforms. (Mar, Canary)

Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC) returns to the streets for ‘active resistance’ to Department for Work and Pensions cuts (Feb, Disability News Service)

Changing the Funding Landscape for Disability Justice: Disability Rights UK’s call to Funding Organisations. “True change begins with accessible funding processes, core unrestricted funding, inclusive eligibility criteria, and the acknowledgement of intersectional experiences.” (2023, Disability Rights UK)

The Disability Power 100 in 2023 (2023, The Shaw Trust)

Disabled activists face down police to protest in front of Rishi’s hotel (2023, Disability News Service)

Turning the tide: Debrief feature on fighting for equality when rights are eroded:

“I often feel that we’re going backwards. And some days it’s easy to think we made no progress. But that’s too simple. Our previous gains have put us in a different situation. The civil servants I talk to today have a much better understanding of disability from those I talked to thirty years ago. Disability-related supports can be undermined but the government would find it hard to take them away entirely. Today’s battles are different.” (2023, Disability Debrief)

It’s time we united for justice “Disabled people are suffering as a result of government neglect.” (2023, Big Issue)

Disabled Virgin Mary in Peterborough Cathedral art exhibition. (2023, BBC)

Call for solidarity: Defend the rights of disabled campaigners, ‘calling on the Metropolitan Police to prevent a repeat of the systemic discrimination towards disabled protesters that we documented in our report “Restricting the Rebellion” in 2019.’ (2023, Freedom)

Disabled people have been at the heart of ‘direct action’ protest for years – what do we do now? Claiming the right to protest. (2023, The Independent)

Dementia and Hope a vision for “dismantling the barriers which disable a million people in the UK” (2023, One Dementia Voice)

Disabled youth participation within activism and social movement bases: “[Young disabled people] feel pressure to agree with those who have identified the cause, advised by established figures on ways in which they should demonstrate resistance, and are requested to provide recommendations that will improve the situation for young people: a limited involvement.” (2022, Current Sociology)

First orthodox siddur for people with disabilities launched in UK (2022, Jerusalem Post)

Radio play Pride and Protest offers a window into the current struggle for disability rights. (2022, Disability Arts Online)

Tickboxes and Tokenism? Service User Involvement Report 2022 (2022, Shaping our Lives)

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UK government faces claim over alleged failure to protect people in climate crisis (Jul, the Guardian)

A green future is possible: “but only if disabled people are invited in.” Update on climate action in Bristol. (Jul, B24/7)

No climate action without us a toolkit on “how to make disabled people’s access to live events environmentally sustainable. ” (Feb, Attitude is Everything)

Disabled people and the environmental crises How Disabled people want charities and government to respond to the climate and nature crises. (2023, NPC)

Briefing for charities and funders on how the climate and nature crises impact older and disabled people (2023, NPC)

Disabled people are being left out of the climate conversation (2023, Big Issue)

Why I’m here: four disabled female voices on their place within the environmental movement. (2023, Greenpeace UK)

Protest for All a guide for climate change groups on making their protests accessible for disabled people. (link to pdf, 2022, Bristol Disability Equality Forum)

The people making a difference: profile of a climate activist: “a heavy wheelchair is handy for wrongfooting the police”. (2022, the Guardian)

Disabled People Must Not Pay The Price For Clean Air (2022, Bristol Disability Equality Forum)

City’s co-produced climate action plan ‘is a world first’ featuring Bristol's climate plan, which we also covered on the debrief (2022, Disability News Service)

Disability and the heatwave: Cooling solutions and disability as weather alert goes red (2022, BBC)

‘There’s no support for us at all’: The realities of caring for a disabled child during a heatwave. (2022, Big Issue)

Glasgow disabled facing hostility for car use “Disabled people are facing "climate-change themed" hostility and aggression for using cars, according to a charity.” (2022, The Herald)

A new Community Climate Action Plan in Bristol (2022, Bristol DEF)

Up to the Challenge report examining the National Disability Strategy and how it addresses climate change. "Disabled people across the country are excluded from the important work to tackle climate change." (2022, Oxford)

For disabled environmentalists discrimination and exclusion are a daily reality (2022, Greenpeace)

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Sign Languages

UK’s biggest sign-language school opens new teaching space:

“The design is intended to optimise communication and navigability, from the horseshoe layout of the classrooms and the lack of corridors to the colour palette. It also had to work well for pupils with visual impairments or mobility issues.” (Oct, Design Week)

Signature launches RE/SIGN campaign to tackle the influx of ‘Fake sign language’ on TikTok (BSL) (Jul, The Limping Chicken)

British Sign Language GCSE set to launch in 2025 (2023, TES magazine)

How is sign language adapting to climate change? 200 environmental science terms that have their own new official signs in British Sign Language (BSL). (2023, BBC)

Stormzy Interpreter On Making Grime Accessible (2023, Dig!)

Signs for Change review of a beautiful documentary by Rose Ayling-Ellis. See also an interview with Rose: “Nobody deaf in this country has the profile I have. I just want to get it right.” (2023, the Guardian)

Work to be done on census figures for BSL: discusses methodology and estimates 150,000 BSL signers in the country. (2022, BDA)

Sign Language is My Language a series of “new perspectives on the experience of being deaf in 21st-century Britain.” (2022, BBC)

Sign language used in court as deaf jurors with own interpreters used for first time in England. (2022, Daily Mail)

Why I co-created a Twitter bot for BSL interpreter requests (2022, The Limping Chicken)

Sign language 999 BSL service launched for deaf people (2022, BBC)

A Sociolinguistic History of British Sign Language in Northern Ireland. "The study shows how the Protestant schools played an important role in the transmission of BSL in the island of Ireland." (2022, Sign Language Studies)

Why everyone should learn some sign language (2022, New Scientist)

British Sign Language to become recognised language in the UK (2022, the Guardian)

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Braille

The Politics of Braille Exploring continuing arguments about use of Braille:

"Blind people are divided in regards to its usefulness, schools debate whether it is worth recruiting qualified teachers, and governments fail to set aside funding to either train those teachers or fund their employment in local authorities. ‘Has technology replaced Braille?’ is a question I hear thrown around by the media more often than I should, usually accompanied by an article about a technology that will revolutionise how blind people read, rendering Braille unnecessary. It has not failed to escape me that whilst I’ve seen countless such articles, Braille is still firmly in place as the writing system used by blind people globally." (2022, Catch These Words)

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Israel-Palestine Conflict

Cops arrest disabled pro-Palestine activist and force him to walk without his mobility aid. “Reports vary, but between eight to ten police violently arrested the protester as he was moving off the road”. (Jun, Canary)

An Autistic Conservative Inspired by Zionism

“I made many new friends and allies both Jews and non-Jews who love my autistic Zionist advocacy. I told these Jews that I owed it to them for their custom of Tikkun Olam making autistic people integrated into Israeli society. Across the diaspora like here in Britain, Jewish people have made certain that disabled people are supported in society.” (Apr, The Times of Israel)

DR UK Stands in Solidarity with Disabled Palestinians “We are deeply concerned about the severe humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza, and we are committed to advocating for the protection of the rights and dignity of Disabled individuals in this time of crisis.” (2023, Disability Rights UK)

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Overview

Accessible Marketing Guide “We’ve gathered all of our best tips to help arts organisations make their marketing more accessible”. (May, Unlimited)

‘The level of hate was dangerous’: Michelle Terry on the backlash to her casting as Richard III: “Artistic director of Shakespeare’s Globe says much of the anger about a non-disabled actor playing the role has been misogynistic”. (May, the Guardian)

‘I’m done with pretenders’: disabled actors on reclaiming Richard III. (Feb, the Guardian)

Disability in classical music: how can we increase accessibility? “There is small army of instrumentalists, conductors, composers and instrument makers fighting to make the industry genuinely more accessible to professional performers.” (Jan, Classical Music)

Jack Moyse, You and I. Fiona Johnstone reviews an exhibition of photographic works by Jack Moyse, a young artist living with muscular dystrophy. (2023, The Polyphony)

Does the Booker Have an Autism Problem? “This year’s Booker Prize longlist is a sign that, during the past 20 years, the publishing world has advanced and stagnated when it comes to autistic representation.” (2023, Publishers Weekly)

‘I think it’s a new artform’: Chris Fonseca, the man bringing Deaf dance to the mainstream. (2023, the Guardian)

Inside Britain’s only all-wheelchair dance troupe a feature on Propel. (Video, 2023, NBC News)

Representing disability in museums. (2023, The Hunterian Blog)

Barbara Hulme shares a showcase of watercolour portrait paintings titled 'Men's Health' – highlighting their disability/ health stories. (2023, Disability Arts Online)

Unfinish’d sympathy: can literature get over reading disability morally? (2022, the Guardian)

Storytelling and Chronic Illness – An Evolution of Time and Place. (2022)

Being Hybrid A guide to hybrid events for the literature sector. (2022, Spread the Word)

‘Don’t tone it down’ – inside the invasion of British museums by disabled artists. (2022, the Guardian)

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TV and Film

‘People always ask – can she have sex?’: “We Might Regret This is one of TV’s most frank depictions of caring for a wheelchair user – and one of its funniest. Its creators talk steamy scenes, stereotypes – and getting drenched in urine”. (Jul, the Guardian)

The Industry Is Questioning Where The Shows Are two-and-a-half years after the BBC and Netflix unveiled their five-year disability partnership. (Mar, Deadline)

Disabled Actors Deserve To Blend Into The Background, Too “In placing disabled actors into minor roles, disability is progressively being treated as a normal aspect of human variation like differences in height, hair color, or body size.” (Feb, Huffpost)

Is There Anybody Out There? review “Ella Glendining’s intelligent documentary challenges the discriminatory attitudes she faces as a young woman with a rare physical disability” (2023, the Guardian)

Doctor Who's disability representation proves why small moments matter (2023, Radio Times)

Kirkmoore review – disability is way funnier than this comedy can handle. (2023, the Guardian)

Mixmups: Behind the scenes with the disabled stop motion characters. (2023, BBC)

Name Me Lawand review empathic and inspiring portrait of deaf Iraqi refugee boy. (2023, the Guardian)

Disney hasn't gone 'woke' by replacing Snow White's seven dwarves – they’re just treating people like me with respect. (2023, Metro.co.uk)

Disabled artists talk about their experiences working in TV: 'There’s still a lot of work to do'. (2023, BBC)

Doctor Who casting Ruth Madeley is game-changing for disabled fans. (2023, Radio Times)

“An Irish Goodbye:” A New Standard for Disability-Focused Stories. (2023, Respect Ability)

The 5 As: our standards for disability inclusion in the television sector. (2022, BBC)

‘I’m done with being token deaf character on TV’: Rose Ayling-Ellis, winner of last year's Strictly Come Dancing, important reflections on representation. It's worth watching the whole speech.

“I had to break through countless barriers to get to where I am. It’s been a lonely, upsetting journey, and whilst winning Strictly was an amazing experience, it shouldn’t be allowed to conceal the hardships I have been through to get here.” (2022, the Guardian)

Channel4 Disability Code of Portrayal commits to more nuanced approaches in portrayal of disabled people, involving disabled people themselves. (2022, Channel 4)

Starring Rosie Jones Disability Benefits is a comedy take on getting disability benefits from the government, and if that doesn't work, getting the disability benefit in a life of crime. (2022, Channel 4)

Britain's Got Talent 2022 Eva Abley's performances, a 14 year-old comedian. (2022, Adnan Entertainment)

Let’s storm Parliament! Then Barbara Met Alan is a film from BBC on the ”punks who risked their lives to fix ableist Britain”. See also on “these stories change how people think”. (2022, the Guardian) One line I enjoyed from the film: “It was 1990, nothing in law, just a pat on the head and a fuck off if you moan too much”. See also a comment on what the film misses out.

Broadcasters unite to create ‘passports’ “that will remove barriers and support better inclusion of disabled people and other colleagues at work.” (2022, Channel 4)

‘It’s time for us to live our lives to the full’. Line of Duty’s Tommy Jessop on changing the world for people with Down’s syndrome. (2022, the Guardian)

Channel 4 creative brief Disability Disruption commission "ripping up the playbook and showing disabled people as they have never been seen before on British TV." (2022, Channel 4) See also coverage on Broadcast.

I'm thrilled that Rose Ayling-Ellis won Strictly Come Dancing: see her interview in the Guardian talking about her life, career and the show. (2021, the Guardian)

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Media

A new wave of disability media Debrief feature on navigating tensions between art, activism and access. (May, Disability Debrief)

How To Report On Disability Responsibly In Journalism “How we tell stories about disabled experiences matters. Bad reporting directly affects how non-disabled people treat us in the real world, from people in our daily lives to politicians writing policy.” (2023, Journo Resources)

Disability in Advertising: Is Representation Finally Improving? (2023, Just Copy)

The media are failing disabled people. “Lucy Webster explains why – and how they can do better” (2022, Tortoise)

BBC Unveils Latest Statistics on Disability, Ethnicity Representation. “53% of teams monitored achieving their targets for disability representation, an increase of 35 percentage points over the last year and a half.” (2022, Variety)

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Clothing and Fashion

Accessible underwear helping disabled people 'slay' “Primark is the latest to announce plans to offer more affordable accessible items in its almost 200 UK shops.” (Jan, BBC)

Vogue model Ellie Goldstein: 'Doctors said I wouldn't walk or talk'. (2023, BBC)

Meet Unhidden, the fashion brand changing the game for people with disabilities. (2023, the Guardian)

Reframing Fashion: British Vogue Celebrates Disabled Talent in Historic New Edition. (2023, Tilting the Lens)

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Overview

Fall in disabled older people in census data ‘could be due to pandemic’, or the change in wording of the census question. (2023, The Independent) More young people declared disability in the census after inclusion of mental health in the question about disability.

Childhood disability, social class and social mobility: A neglected relationship. “We specifically focus on the importance of social class for disabled young people's outcomes, emphasizing the need for intersectional analyses of disability inequalities.” (2022, The British Journal of Sociology)

Outcomes for disabled people in the UK: 2021 detailed statistics from a range of datasets. (2022, ONS)

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Research

Midgetism: a book by Erin Pritchard on exploitation and discrimination of people with dwarfism:

“This book introduces the critical term ‘midgetism’, which the author has coined, to demonstrate that the socio-cultural discrimination people with dwarfism experience is influenced by both heightism and disablism.” (Oct, Routledge)

Beyond Disability Stigma: Examining Tolerance and Intolerance toward Disability Issues:

“Recent advances from social psychology suggest that intolerance is conceptually distinct from stigma and prejudice and results from value-driven reasons to interfere with a person’s beliefs or practices that have little to do with their identity or characteristics like impairment. However, study of (in)tolerance has so far been neglected in the disability context. In this paper, we address this gap. We argue that studying disability-related (in)tolerance is crucial for understanding disability discrimination and designing interventions to combat it.” (Sep, Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research)

Rethinking Crip time and Embodiment in Research (Apr, the polyphony)

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Overview

It's not all doom and gloom: What the pandemic has taught us about digitally inclusive practices that support people with learning disabilities to access and use technologies. (2022, British Journal of Learning Disabilities)

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Artificial Intelligence

How to write text descriptions (alt text) in news articles guidance for BBC News staff. (May, BBC)

Making AI delivery robots disability-friendly “As a robot designed to use pavements, it could have become another frustrating obstacle for disabled people to navigate.” (2023, BBC)

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Online Accessibility

Accessibility as a cyber security priority Want security that works better for people? Make it accessible. (2023, NCSC)

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Social Media

Teen beauty queen's TikTok account blocked over acne. (2023, BBC)

As a disabled person, social media has been a lifeline "The internet bypasses what keeps us apart: inaccessible transport, a lack of appropriate care, pain and fatigue. [...] The real power of the disability community, [comes] in the slow accumulation of knowledge that accrues from bearing witness to each other’s lives." (2022, Financial Times)

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Overview

Plugging the “fiscal black hole” a report on how “Investing in Disabled People and Carers can solve the UK’s Economic Challenges”:

“The growing issue of economic inactivity – one of the government’s biggest challenges – stems from the lack of effective support for disabled people, those with long-term health conditions, and unpaid carers, both in getting into work and staying in employment. Our analysis estimates that this failure costs the UK Treasury £38bn each year – nearly twice the “fiscal black hole” or the unfunded spending pressures announced by the government. We consider that these costs occur from failing to close employment gaps for these groups, largely leading to lost tax revenue alongside welfare payments that could be reduced if more people who want to work were able to do so”. (Oct, Disability Policy Centre)

Empire of Normality: Neurodiversity and Capitalism a book by Robert Chapman. “Neurodivergent liberation is possible - but only by challenging the deepest logics of capitalism. Empire of Normality is an essential guide to understanding the systems that shape our bodies, minds and deepest selves - and how we can undo them.” (2023, Pluto Press)

The financial wellbeing of disabled people in the UK “Three-in-ten (27%) disabled households are in serious financial difficulty, compared to one-in-ten (11%) of non-disabled households.” (2023, University of Bristol)

‘I live in fear of debt collectors’: disabled people in England tell of toll of soaring care costs. (2023, the Guardian)

Disabled people facing a ‘cost-of-breathing’ crisis a campaign by Scope and ITV. “For disabled people, this is not just a cost of living crisis.” (2023, Scope)

Homelessness and disability “Report reveals people with physical disabilities and health conditions are at much greater risk of homelessness” (2023, University of Bristol)

Broke and disabled in Tory Britain: the reality of life on one meal a day. (2023, the Guardian)

Disabled people among hardest hit by cost of living crisis, finds study. ‘Disabled people in the UK are much more likely to struggle to heat their homes and cut back on food this winter, according to a report highlighting “massive” income gaps amid the cost of living squeeze.’ (2023, the Guardian)

Disabled young people have less upward social mobility than their peers – and class background makes this worse. (2023, the Conversation)

Disability Price Tag 2023: the extra cost of disability. “On average, disabled households (with at least one disabled adult or child) need an additional £975 a month to have the same standard of living as non-disabled households.” (2023, Scope)

Thousands of vulnerable people cut off from gas and electricity for days at a time. (2022, The Bureau of Investigative Journalism) And this is just the data from last winter.

Blind people amongst those worst affected by cost of living crisis (2022, City A.M.)

What actions are people taking because of the rising cost of living? “Around 4 in 10 disabled people experiencing rising cost of living cut back on food and essentials” (2022, ONS)

‘I see price rises of 25-50%’: how inflation is affecting people with a disability or illness (2022, the Guardian)

Disabled people's experiences with activities, goods and services. “Disabled people with invisible impairments could face a conflict between needing support but not wanting to have to identify themselves as disabled to access it, because of perceived external judgement and negative stereotypes regarding disability; this contributed to a sense of vulnerability which people felt negatively impacted their wellbeing.” (2022, ONS)

From disability to destitution devastating analysis on the economic situation of persons with disabilities. (2022, JRF)

A survey of almost 700 people What disabled consumers choose to buy and why “90 per cent were affected at the decision-making stage of purchases by either; limitations of design, limitations in available information, or how information was presented.” (2022, BDF) See also on Forbes.

Energy prices: Fears and cutbacks as hike hits disabled families (2022, BBC)

In a survey of 1,200 disabled people, more than half feel “anxious, depressed or hopeless” about financial worries and problems (2022, Yahoo! News)

Disabled people facing ‘impossible choices to survive’ in cost of living crisis, “amid a perfect storm of soaring energy prices, increasing fuel and food costs and cuts to government support”. (2022, the Guardian)

New data shows food insecurity major challenge to levelling up agenda "People who are limited a lot by disability are approximately 5 times more likely to be food insecure (in the past six months) than people who aren’t living with a disability." (2022, Food Foundation)

Rising living costs will push more disabled people into destitution "Benefits are falling far behind the extra costs associated with disability," (2022, New Statesman)

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Financial Inclusion

Disability and financial wellbeing: barriers and accessibility. (2023, FTAdviser)

New debit card lets relatives track spending of relatives with dementia. (2023, This is Money)

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Social Protection

Hidden behind this budget is a terrible bombshell: billions in cuts for disabled people. (Nov, Guardian)

Reality of DWP benefits system: 'I'm going to die and can't get PIP' extract from the Department, a new book from John Pring, editor of the Disability News Service. (Aug, See also the Department Book.)

Growing pressures Exploring trends in children’s disability benefits, a report:

“Over the last decade, the number of under-16s in receipt of Disability Living Allowance (DLA) in England and Wales has doubled, reaching 682,000 in 2023, equivalent to one-in-sixteen children. This growing caseload has been driven almost entirely by awards made to children whose main condition is either a learning difficulty, behavioural disorder or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): in 2023, four-fifths of all Child DLA awards were for children whose main condition was one of these three.” (Aug, Resolution Foundation)

Sample of disabled people forced onto universal credit shows every one of them now receives less in benefits. (Jul, Disability News Service)

“Under strain” Investigating trends in working-age disability and incapacity benefits. (Jun, Resolution Foundation)

Swapping payments for vouchers won’t fix disability benefits. “Ongoing benefit payments should relate to actual costs in life and protect people from slipping into poverty.” (May, The Conversation)

I did ‘fit for work’ tests for the Department of Work and Pensions. “Many times my decision was that the person was fit for work on DWP criteria, but privately I would not dream of employing them myself.” (May, the Guardian)

Almost no cases of disability benefit fraud despite DWP crackdown “The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has released new statistics showing that fraud in the disability benefits system is a 'non-issue'” (May, Big Issue)

Disabled people are trying to tell us how benefits system is killing them. “Dr China Mills shares her experiences of pulling together decades of evidence of deaths, protests and failures in the disability benefits system for a new timeline which holds the government to account” (2023, Big Issue)

UK’s new back to work plan will make life even harder for disabled people “As part of these plans, the government is planning to implement tougher sanctions for people who are judged to not be taking appropriate steps to secure work. The proposed punitive measures include suspending benefit claims altogether and stopping access to free medical prescriptions and legal aid.” (2023, The Conversation)

Activists raise concerns over human rights record “of the outsourcing company that defeated Atos in the battle for a multi-million-pound disability benefits assessment contract.” (2023, Disability News Service)

The commodification of social security medical assessments —academic analysis and practitioner experience. (2023, Public Money and Management)

What would a fair disability benefits assessment look like? “It is apparent that the current disability benefits process isn’t working, so we asked the experts what a fair system would look like, and whether that could exist at all.” (2023, Big Issue)

The tragic deaths the British press is reluctant to cover exploring deaths linked to cuts in government benefits. (2023, Columbia Journalism Review)

A decade after the Tories demonised disabled people on benefits, it’s happening again. (2023, the Guardian) See also: open letter from Scope.

Social care costs see thousands chased for debt. “More than 60,000 adults with disabilities and long-term illnesses in England were chased for debts by councils last year after failing to pay for their social care support at home.” (2023, BBC)

UK government errors denied thousands disability benefits: “Campaigners hit out after data reveals majority of successful appeals were due to Department for Work and Pensions mistakes” (2022, the Guardian)

Five-month disability benefits delay causing hardship (2022, the Guardian)

Government spent £440m fighting disability claimants as whistleblowers claim system broken. (2022, ITV)

Secret DWP report reveals unmet needs of disability benefit claimants (2022, Disability News Service)

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Overview

Disabled children’s charity hands 43% of grants to rightwing think-tanks:

“Campaigners shocked to find that much of the Street Foundation’s funds are ‘not being spent on disabled children at all’.” (Sep, Good Law Project)

Restrained and scared: The £100k schools failing vulnerable children: “Private special needs schools accused of letting down children” (Aug, BBC)

Children mocked and bullied by staff at special needs school.

“An undercover reporter spent almost seven weeks at Life Wirral in Wallasey and witnessed staff using offensive language to mock pupils for their neurodiversity or learning disabilities, as well as manhandling them into dangerous headlocks.” (Jun, BBC)

Cropped out, banned, airbrushed: the school photos that show the ugly face of Britain today, as disabled children are edited out of school pictures. (Apr, the Guardian)

Lived Experience of Black/Global Majority Disabled Pupils and their Families in Mainstream Education (Apr, ALLFIE)

Fight for our future: a report calling for action for every disabled child to fulfil their potential. (Apr, Newlife)

The Development Process of the Inclusive Education Movement with Non-disabled Allies: Focusing on Disability Equality Training in England. (Mar, Educational Studies in Japan)

Over 50% of special school pupils could be in mainstream, an analysis of a major government intervention programme has found. (Feb, TES Magazine)

Parents urge councillors to apologise over special needs comments One councillor asked if "something in the water" was increasing special needs cases. (Feb, BBC)

History Depth Study: Fight for Rights in Modern Britain Student Book. (2023, Oxford University Press)

Wasting money, wasting potential: families are appealing a record number of decisions on not granting special educational needs, and “in 2021-22, the public sector wasted nearly £60 million losing EHCP tribunal disputes”. (2023, Pro Bono Economics)

Children with Disabilities forced to travel hundreds of miles for school. (2022, The Bureau)

Changing Children’s Attitudes to Disability through Music: "A core driver for change appeared to be sharing enjoyable musical activities with competent musicians who had disabilities." (2022, Disabilities)

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Higher Education

Developing neurodiversity-affirmative PhD supervision (Jul, Supervising PhDs)

Higher education was easily accessible to disabled people during Covid. Why are we being shut out now? “The pandemic showed that remote learning is effective. It’s absurd that universities are going back to processes that exclude us” (Apr, the Guardian)

Students with physical disabilities explain the challenges they face when they go to university. (Jan, The Conversation)

Disability landscape report highlights barriers still facing disabled chemists (2023, Chemistry World)

Deaf scholar promoted to full professor in deaf studies “Until the appointment of Annelies Kusters, UK had only hearing people as full professors in the field” (2023, the Guardian)

Improving the experience of disabled PhD students in STEM “The researchers found that out of 192 survey participants UK wide, only a third (33%) felt they had received the support they needed to be on an equal footing with their non-disabled peers” (2023, Disabled Students UK)

How to promote disabled women in academia (2023, THE)

What I’ve learned from a decade of working with a disability in academia “climbing the academic ladder in an able-bodied world” (2023, Times Higher Education)

Disabled students are being let down by universities (2022, Metro)

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The employment of disabled people 2024 statistical update: “the disability employment rate was 53.0% in Q2 2024, compared to 81.6% for non-disabled people.” (Nov, Gov.UK)

Many disabled young people written off report on the transition from education to work for young disabled people:

“The report found disabled people faced continuous barriers, external to securing long-term employment, which began from when they first started nursery school.” (Oct, BBC)

What is disability pay gap reporting? “The government has committed to extending the UK’s framework for gender pay gap reporting by employers to other protected characteristics, including disability.” (Aug, Economics Observatory)

Why disability pay gap reporting may not lead to increasing employment opportunities: “Our research (and others’) consistently shows evidence for how introducing disability pay gap reporting reduces disability inclusive practices and opportunities in organisations” (Jul, Business Disability Forum)

Deloitte: ‘You don’t need to be perfect; you just need to start’ “Being a diverse, equitable, inclusive workplace is a business priority for the professional services giant” (Apr, UNLEASH)

Employment of disabled people and organisational performance. Based on data from 854 workplaces, findings include:

“Among all private sector workplaces, higher workforce disability prevalence is: associated with better financial performance and lower labour turnover; and not associated with productivity, quality of product or service, or absence rates”. (Apr, Disability @ Work)

Workforce Disability Equality Standard: 2023 data analysis report for NHS trusts. 23.4% of staff declared a long-term condition or illness in 2023 in the anonymous staff survey. (Mar, NHS England)

What are energy-limiting conditions? A guide for employees and their managers, and introduction to chronic illness at work. (Feb, Catherine Hale)

Autistic people held back by job interview questions according to a report on autism in the workplace. (Feb, BBC) See the full Buckland Review of Autism Employment.

Menopause in the workplace: Guidance for employers. “If menopause symptoms have a long term and substantial impact on a woman’s ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities, these symptoms could be considered a disability.” (Feb, Equality and Human Rights Commission)

Understanding unemployment: what role does ethnicity and disability play? “Unemployment varied greatly by disability status and ethnicity, with Census 2021 estimated unemployment rates for some groups as low as 2.9%, while for others it was up to 17.2%.” (Jan, ONS)

Top Disability Confident members ‘do no better on jobs than non-members’ (2023, Disability News Service)

Does the Government's disability confident scheme improve disability employment outcomes?

“Disabled jobseekers should not assume that Disability Confident organisations are necessarily any more likely than non-Disability Confident organisations to hire and retain them, or provide them with a better experience of work.” (2023, Disability @ Work)

BCS diversity report 2023: Disability industry body for IT gives a report on disabled people working in tech. (2023, BCS)

4% of large charities report their disability pay gaps, research finds (2023, Civil Society)

Do disability passports really work? “Passports will not help employees – and may present more barriers – if wider approaches to disability and adjustments are poor. The passports themselves are no substitute for sound adjustments processes or good manager attitudes to disabled employees. [...] When done as a “box ticking exercise”, as some employees and managers reported they were, passports risk being ineffective or even harmful.” (2023, Business Disability Forum)

Great Big Workplace Adjustments Survey 2023 Results

“Disabled employees are still waiting too long for the adjustments they need to reduce or remove the barriers they experience in their jobs: 1 in 8 employees have to wait more than a year for them. Employees also have to push for adjustments, or even fund them, themselves. Only ten percent of people told us it was easy to get the adjustments they needed.” (2023, BDF)

Why employer inflexibility matters for the recruitment, retention and progression of disabled workers.

“Whilst some disabled people may need specific aids, adaptions, or equipment in order to facilitate their ability to work, the vast majority only require changes in the way in which work is organised.” (2023, Disability & Society)

Disability and Small Business Report (2023, Small Business Britain)

Non-disabled workers paid 17% more than disabled peers. Disabled women face the biggest pay gap and it persists for workers throughout their careers. (2022, TUC)

Positively Purple a new book from Kate Nash on building an inclusive culture in business. (2022, KoganPage)

Employers influencing disabled people’s employment through responses to reasonable adjustments. Employer reactions to requests for adjustments in the workplace go on to influence the rest of disabled people's careers. (2022, Disability and Society)

Disability Pay Gap: “Mandatory reporting would only capture a snippet of the full picture as only large organisations would be required to report”. (2022)

The blind farmer: ‘It’s all I ever wanted to do. Now I can help others do it’ (2022, the Guardian)

‘I was dismissed as simple’: People reveal the reality of disability discrimination at work (2022, Metro.co.uk)

Disability pay gaps in the UK: 2021 “The disability pay gap, the gap between median pay for disabled employees and non-disabled employees, was 13.8% in 2021”. There is a slightly wider pay-gap for men with disabilities, and considerably wider for those with more activity limitations, or with autism listed as their main impairment. (2022, ONS)

Business Without Barriers: interviews with successful disabled entrepreneurs and personal accounts from employers who are helping to break down barriers to employment. (2022, FSB)

Disability Smart Awards (2021, Business Disability Forum)

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Women with learning disabilities star in menopause film A film has been made by and for women with learning disabilities or autism to explain that perimenopause and menopause symptoms are not "embarrassing or scary". (Apr, BBC)

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Overview

End of life care: a report “calling for urgent improvements to the process and communication surrounding do not attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation” and exploring the inequitable impact current practices have had on disabled people and older people. (Jan, Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman)

Wheelchairs and weight: 'I haven't been able to weigh myself for 22 years'. (2023, BBC)

A review of advocacy “This report covers in depth research about advocacy for people with a learning disability and autistic people who are inpatients in mental health, learning disability or autism specialist hospitals.” (2023, NDTI)

Thousands with learning disabilities trapped in hospital, some for years “because of a lack of psychological support and overly complicated treatment systems” (2023, the Guardian)

National Health Service crisis: Why are disabled people disproportionately affected? (2023, BBC)

Will the NHS Care for Me? feature by a disabled person on why people with a learning disability are more than twice as likely to die from avoidable causes than the rest of the population. (2022, BBC)

A study on avoidable mortality in children/young people with intellectual disabilities. “Children with intellectual disabilities had significantly higher rates of all-cause, avoidable, treatable and preventable mortality than their peers. The largest differences were for treatable mortality, particularly at ages 5–9 years. Interventions to improve healthcare to reduce treatable mortality should be a priority for children/young people with intellectual disabilities.” (2022, BMJ Open)

Fractured, fighting, fixed: my personal experiences in hospital as a base to reflect on why medical systems struggle with inclusion. (2022, Disability Debrief)

Recognising lived experience is essential to empowering disabled patients. (2022, BMJ)

Warning over early deaths of learning disabled: “adults with a learning disability were twice as likely to die from preventable illnesses.” (2022, BBC)

A BBC show Ellie Simmonds: A World Without Dwarfism?

“A pioneering drug is coming on the market that promises to make children with achondroplasia - Ellie’s form of dwarfism - grow closer to average height. A genetic condition, achondroplasia is the most common type of dwarfism in the UK, and the new treatment raises the question: if cutting-edge medicine can stop disability in its tracks, should we use it?” (2022, BBC)

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Food Security and Nutrition

The Nutrition D-List “An alternative nutrition newsletter about realistic healthy living for diverse bodies.” (Dina Hassan)

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Overview

Disabled People’s Activism in Victorian Britain:

“The politics of disability was bound up with the politics of labour. The spectacle of the suffering maimed body was deployed during the early decades of the nineteenth century by campaigners seeking the abolition of slavery in Britain’s colonies and the end of what was termed the ‘white slavery’ endured by British factory workers” (Oct, History Workshop)

Tributes to Euan MacDonald, creator of Euan's guide “One of Scotland's leading champions for people with disabilities has died 21 years after being diagnosed with motor neuron disease (MND). (Aug, BBC)

The Myth of Marginality. An essay exploring how people with learning disabilities lived before the invention of asylums:

“So-called idiots were everywhere: in families, in communities, often working, sometimes married, well known, usually accepted and often loved by those around them. I do not wish to romanticise. Some were exploited, badly treated, abused, but there was always a countervailing element in the neighbourhood that sought to protect and defend in such circumstances. It was very far from the unliveable dystopia portrayed by nineteenth-century doctors and some twenty-first-century academics.” (Jul, History Workshop)

Testimonies from the past Debrief feature looking at disabled people's life writing shows how their stories challenge official histories:

“All too often it is only the powerful who get to tell stories. This profoundly shapes how we see the world. But writing history without the testimony of ordinary disabled people is just smoke and mirrors.” (Jun, Disability Debrief)

Henry VIII and Disability Studies

“Henry VIII of England has been overlooked as a disabled figure and as a policy maker who deeply impacted disability history in England. Though Henry used the first stairlift in England, writers are hesitant to call the king disabled.” (May, University of Georgia)

Review of 'Out of His Mind: Masculinity and Mental Illness in Victorian Britain' (Apr, H-Disability)

Book review of Literature and Intellectual Disability in Early Modern England: Folly, Law and Medicine, 1500–1640. (2023, H-Disability)

Disability Histories items in the National Museums of Scotland collection (2023, National Museums Scotland)

In loving memory of Alan Benson MBE. “Alan’s work has had a lasting impact not only on transport accessibility, but the entire disabled community.” (2023, Transport for All)

Rachel Heller obituary Artist whose vivid works were lauded by the likes of David Hockney and Maggi Hambling (2023, the Guardian)

Clare Gray, 1969-2023 “Clare was hugely well regarded for her advocacy work and involvement in the Disability Power 100 [...] it is accepted across the disability community and beyond that Clare was one of the most influential disabled advocates campaigning in the UK in the last decade.” (2023, Shaw Trust)

Lame Captains and Left-Handed Admirals Amputee Officers in Nelson's Navy (2023, University of Virginia Press) See also this discussion on New Books Network (no transcript).

Slow Workers: Labelling and Labouring in Britain, c. 1909–1955

“Intellectually disabled people adopted precarious strategies of ‘getting by’ and while they commonly experienced low wages, could also sustain degrees of community inclusion at the margins of the economy.” (2023, Social History of Medicine)

Tracing Disabled Children’s Lives in 19th-Century Scotland through Public and Institutional Records. (2023, Genealogy)

Lois Keith obituary “Writer, teacher and disability rights campaigner who challenged the barriers facing disabled women” (2023, the Guardian)

In his time, Benjamin Lay may have been the most radical person on the planet. ‘Benjamin Lay’s dwarf body shaped his radicalism. For someone “not much above four feet” tall, life was a struggle to be considered equal, even to be taken seriously in many situations. Benjamin had to fight.’ (2023, Verso)

Everywhere and Nowhere short film “spotlights 10 fascinating stories, objects and sites with connections to histories of disability from the National Trust’s buildings and landscapes, and collections and historical records.” (2023, University of Leicester Research Centre)

Disabled people’s activism on exhibition at the People's History Museum (2022, Disability Arts Online)

Ebooks of Paul Hunt's writings. “Paul Hunt was one of the founders of the Disabled People's Movement in Britain, and one of the first activists to argue for the social model of disability.” (2022, GMCDP)

A review of Beholding Disability in Renaissance England a book which argues that “by focusing on disability in Renaissance texts we can collapse barriers between us and the past, while at the same time gain new perspectives on both historical and contemporary perceptions of the disabled body.” (2022, H-Disability)

Book review of Those They Called Idiots: The Idea of the Disabled Mind from 1700 to the Present Day. “The conflation of race and intelligence is vividly documented in this volume. The long and complex history of ideas that have bound these concepts together helps us understand today’s deeply institutionalized racism as well as the entrenched we/they ableism of our educational and social service institutions.” (2022, Disability Studies Community)

Book review of Shakespeare and Disability Studies, a book which argues that a disability studies view should not focus just on disabled characters but rather ‘theater as a “social phenomenon” in which both disabled and nondisabled bodyminds engage with one another and the text.’ (2022, Disability Studies Community)

Dr Peter Scott-Morgan dies: Tributes to world's first 'cyborg' ‘And when I say “Cyborg”, I don’t just mean any old cyborg, you understand, but by far the most advanced human cybernetic organism ever created in 13.8 billion years.’ (2022, Metro.co.uk)

The Jewish Deaf Association launch new website: Jewish Deaf History (London) discussion of the history and website. (2022, Limping Chicken)

‘The lady without legs or arms’: how an artist shattered Victorian ideas about disability. (2022, the Guardian)

The 1921 census is a snapshot of a post-war Britain where disability suddenly became visible: "Poignant, defiant notes by men living with war wounds show the roots of the ongoing fight for disability rights taking hold". (2022, Inews)

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Remembering Judy Heumann

Samantha Renke on how Judith Heumann was, and is, my role model. (2023, Metro.co.uk)

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Migration

Home Office in threat to deport disabled man to Nigeria after 38 years in UK. (May, the Guardian)

Iranian artist opens show exploring disability and migration. “Paralympian Mohammad Barrangi hopes his work will help people think of human stories behind headlines about migration” (Apr, the Guardian)

London Council Breaches Human Rights Law After Subjecting Disabled Asylum Seeker to Degrading Treatment. “The bedroom was too small for him to store and use his disability-related equipment. The bathroom was inaccessible and did not have adapted toilet/shower facilities. The lack of space for him to mobilise using equipment meant he was bedbound.” (Feb, Byline Times)

See Britain’s hidden shame “Leaving disabled asylum seekers to rot in an old care home is not an aberration – it is the system working exactly as intended” (2023, the Guardian)

Disabled man in fourth week of hunger strike over ‘inhuman’ Home Office facility. “The Home Office has so far refused to take any action over the case of Basam Huzyene, originally from Jordan, who has diabetes and a serious heart condition.” (2023, Disability News Service)

Concerns raised over living conditions for family of asylum seekers from Sudan living with two disabled children in one room at Belfast hotel. (2023, The Irish News)

UK Turns its Back on Asylum Seekers with Disabilities “More than 50 asylum seekers, most of whom have disabilities, are being warehoused in a former care home in Essex, England, without access to adequate support and services.” (2023, Human Rights Watch)

Asylum seekers with disabilities ‘abandoned’ in former Essex care home. One advocate described this as “putting them in a dustbin and putting the lid on. But what they need is help. What is going on is unpardonable”. (2023, the Guardian)

Vulnerable asylum seekers 'prisoners in their own homes' after fleeing war zones. “Many claim they have been placed in unsuitable properties that are littered with tripping hazards and have broken lifts.” (2023, Mirror)

Jamaicans with disabilities facing ‘unjust’ deportation from UK. “Most of the Jamaicans facing deportation next week on a government flight live with a disability or health problem and came to Britain as children” (2022, Independent)

Non-verbal black teenager who has never left UK detained at immigration centre. “Boy who went missing from hospital arrested and held at Gatwick facility after being wrongly recorded as Nigerian” (2022, the Guardian)

A Mural on Disability and Migration bringing together the disabled movement and asylum sector. (Youtube, 2021, Disability Murals)

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Overview

Suicidal thoughts of parents with disabled children: “41% of parents in England who have a child with long-term illness or disability have thought about suicide while caring for their child, new research has found.” (Jul, University of Birmingham)

Building the Right Support The number of people detained in Assessment and Treatment Units reduced by just 30% since 2015, to 2,045. An increased number of them are autistic people:

“The detention of autistic people and people with a learning disability in locked settings is a national scandal, and one that is wholly avoidable.” (Jun, VODG)

Liberty tactics: On the rise of ‘deprivation of liberty safeguards’. “A growing number of countries are also recognising and regulating restrictive and supervisory social care living arrangements as a form of detention.” (Apr, Journal of Elder Law and Capacity)

Towards Dignity and Autonomy a report on personal assistance policies across nine countries. (Mar, ENIL and ILO)

Civil society response to Bristol City Council’s draft disability policy (Feb, Doughty Street Chambers)

From closing down institutions to opening up communities

“[Today] the majority of adults with a learning disability or autism live with their parents (increasing numbers of who are over 70 reflecting improvements in life expectancy among adults with learning disabilities or autism). Living in a registered care home forms the next most common living arrangement. A minority own or rent their own home. The remainder are in ‘Supported living’ arrangements.” (Feb, Making rights make sense)

Watch "See Me" by MiXiT. A celebration of inclusion. (2023, Social Care Future)

The Lonely Reality of Avoiding Being Alone.

“As someone who requires skilled support 24 hours a day I’m never really on my own – but if I am it’s because I’ve failed. Failed, that is, to meet my most basic need, the continuous presence of someone who can keep me safe. [... In the last six months] I’ve cried because of care related arguments or relationship strain 30 times – including today.” (2023, Tourettes hero)

On independent living, the focus of policy should be the destination.

“The problem with ‘deinstitutionalisation’ as a goal is that it elevates a departure point over a destination and process over outcome. The destination and outcome isn’t disabled people not living in what we class as being ‘institutional care’, it is disabled people living independently & being included in the community on an equal basis with others.” (2023, Making Rights Make Sense)

Sussex disabled man breaks silence after being imprisoned and kept in 'squalor' by wife for years. (2023, ITV News Meridian)

The Disability Serviceland Song “a song about control, power and self-determination. Staring Ellie Goldstein.” (2022, Open Future Learning)

Brother, do you love me? The cry for help that sparked a care-home rescue mission. (2022, the Guardian)

Disabled People trapped waiting years for vital home adaptations (2022, The Bureau of Investigative Journalism)

Great video on how support workers can enable a social life (2022, Open Future Learning)

A new book, open access, Deprivation of Liberty in the Shadows of the Institution on how restrictive practices from institutions continued as services were provided in the community. (2022, Bristol University Press)

My Freedom A retrospective on the 10th anniversary of abuse reported at residential facility Winterbourne View. "My freedom means I go to bed when I want." (2022, Bemix)

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Conditions in Institutions

People 'locked up' in hospitals. Campaign group calls on the Welsh government to publish data and give more support to families. (Apr, BBC)

Inside the "barbaric" mental health units holding autistic adults and children. “Nearly 2,000 adults and hundreds of children with learning disabilities or autism are being held in mental health units, with an average stay of more than five years, despite repeated abuse scandals.” (2023, Politics Home)

Learning-disabled and autistic people are being neglected and tortured. “Across the UK, revelations of institutional abuse keep mounting up, yet people are still being denied basic respect” (2023, the Guardian)

The shameful legacy of the Lennox Castle hospital Scotland's largest institutiono for people with learning disabilities, which closed 20 years ago. (2022, BBC)

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Our new Strategy for Disability Justice. “ADD is on a journey away from the traditional model of international development and towards an inclusive solidarity that heals injustice.”

“By focusing our strategic framework on the concept of flow we remind ourselves that this work is not about ADD itself. Instead, it is about using our position and networks to increase the flow of resources and opportunities to those who have the vision, agency and right to lead change – disability justice activists and organisations.” (Apr, ADD International)

FCDO and disability-inclusive development a mixed review of the recent state of disability inclusion in the UK's international cooperation. “Stakeholders note that OPDs are consulted arbitrarily and without obligation, making it all too common that policy decisions affecting people with disabilities are made without their direct input. ” (Apr, UK Parliament)

“Major shortcomings” in FCDO’s disability-inclusion work: No definition, no delivery plan and deep aid cuts. The chair of the International Development Committee says:

“The FCDO has paid much lip service to disability-inclusion in its development programming but on the ground it’s starting to feel like the bad old days where development was done to, not with, the people impacted. Actual spending on disability inclusion falls short of our expectations. Because of glaring oversights in FCDO’s planning and measurement, people with disabilities remain at constant risk of being overlooked in the climate and conflict emergencies engulfing ever more of our world.” (Apr, UK Parliament)

UK's first blind overseas ambassador: “My sight loss helps me connect with people”. (Apr, BBC)

An intersectional approach to disability inclusion A resource for members of the Bond Disability and Development Group, donors, and wider NGO sector (Mar, Bond)

15 years of advancing disability rights: the UK’s international development progress and a path forwards. “Global crises alongside cuts to Official Development Assistance (ODA) continue to disproportionately impact people with disabilities”. (2023, Bond)

UK government strategy: Sightsavers calls for further action for women and girls with disabilities. (2023, Sightsavers)

On the new International Development Strategy, People with Disabilities don’t have the luxury of time “there is no observable strategy to focus concerted efforts on eradicating poverty and improving the lives of the most marginalised.” (2022, CBM UK)

Meeting the Ambition of the new FCDO Disability Inclusion & Rights Strategy (2022, CBM UK)

Launch of a new development policy, FCDO disability inclusion and rights strategy 2022 to 2030. See a blog post welcoming the new strategy from CBM UK. (2022, Gov UK)

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Opening up on disability “Lawyers take pride in protecting the rights of disabled clients, but the profession’s own record on access is mixed.” (Feb, The Law Society Gazette)

‘Judges know more about their gentleman's club wine than disability rights’ John Horan was flying high in the legal world but then suffered a stroke. (Jan, Camden New Journal)

Are we receiving the justice we deserve? With support from disabled magistrates, a report on inaccessible courtrooms. (2023, Magistrates Association)

No longer free to be Deaf: Cultural, medical and social understandings of d/Deafness in prison: “there is little room for a cultural model of Deafness in prison, and in consequence, prison becomes medically deafening for Deaf prisoners.” (2022, Disability and Society)

Pushing at the Boundaries of Legal Personhood. “Could we then imagine a framework of legal personhood that recognises persons with removeable parts?” (2022, Frontiers of Sociolegal Studies)

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A moment that changed me: my dad helped me with everything – then suddenly he was gone. (Sep, the Guardian)

I’m living my life as the person I’m meant to be, not in spite of the person I am. (Sep, Disability & Society)

Fall with me My childhood, told through its falls. (Jul, Disability Debrief)

I was granted Freedom of the City – but not freedom of the room. “There was no ramp to the stage to collect my award, even though the organisers knew in advance I would need wheelchair access”:

“I call this phenomenon “Access Roulette”. Spin the wheel and hold your breath – maybe you’ll be allowed onto the bus today, rather than the driver speeding off without putting the ramp down” (Jul, Big Issue)

How living with albinism feels different when you stay in Nigeria vs UK. (Jun, Pulse Nigeria)

I want to raise disability awareness but it doesn’t mean I’ll work for you for free “Expecting us to work for free doesn’t just do us a personal disservice, it adds fuel to the already raging fire of inequality our community faces on a daily basis.” (Mar, Metro)

Disabled Parents Interview w/ Laura Lulika sharing experiences of parenting and a traumatic birthing experience. (Mar, Painwise)

‘I wanted people to laugh not at me, but with me’: Tom Shakespeare on his new Novel, The Ha-Ha. (Mar, the Guardian)

This is how we do it: ‘His disability might change the sex we have, but we’ll adapt’. (2023, the Guardian)

A disabled farewell to 2023 Reflections on my year and how Judy's passing changes our movement (2023, Disability Debrief)

I learned to love my disabled body – why can’t my non-disabled friends love theirs? (2023, the Guardian)

‘I cried with anger’: the trials and torment when travelling with blindness. “‘Help’ ranges from being accused of faking it to being offered a wheelchair. That’s why society needs to be educated about the nuances of sight loss.” (2023, the Guardian)

Not Getting Better: Polly Atkin talking about her book, Some of Us Just Fall (2023, Lighthouse)

Why I'm not faking being sick: I'm faking being well. “A woman who is ill and disabled wouldn’t wear make-up or care about looking fashionable.” (2023, Brain Lesion and Me)

Ellie Simmonds on finding her birth mother: ‘During this journey I cried so much’ (2023, the Guardian)

Rosie Jones on death threats, anxiety and anger:

“Rosie Jones always wears earphones when she’s out alone. She jokes it is for pleasurable reasons – “a chance to listen to Steps” – but it is actually to block out something much more menacing: when strangers see her walk down the street with her movement affected by cerebral palsy, they shout abuse at her.” (2023, the Guardian)

‘Disabled is still seen as the worst thing a person can be’: Why Disability Pride Month is a vital celebration of what it means to be disabled (2023, Glamour)

The 90s are back why disability simulations are harmful. (2023, The Accessible Link)

‘I did not expect motherhood to legitimise me’: parenting with a disability – “four families share their eye-opening stories of love and joy” (2023, the Guardian)

On the Debrief: Don't you have mercy on yourself? How we turn our isolation into connection (2023, Disability Debrief)

What London Is Like When You're Deaf. (2023, Londonist)

Why We Need Spaces to Discuss Disabled Joy in All Its Complexity Rather than Inspiration. (2023, The Spill)

Moving Nowhere Here a poem by Kimberly Campanello. “I must be propped on pillows // to attempt anything at all // other than dream”. (2023, Granta)

Invisible: Documentary about 6 disabled women activists. (2022, Tend Project)

On living two lives:

“To be as disabled as I am is to have control of your life parcelled out to people you’ve never met and who will never know you. The doctor, the care recruiting firm, the dating agency. I am forever trying to claw it back; a decision made for myself here, a stand taken there. Sometimes I think I am succeeding, I can breathe a little easier. I feel in control - of my career, of where I’m going, of the small but vital details of how I live my everyday life. And then the dam breaks and the water is rushing again, seemingly higher than before. I find myself wondering whether this time it’ll finally flow over my head.” (2022, The View From Down Here)

Disabled people don’t need your outrage – we need you to fight with us for change (2022, the Guardian)

How I found my own disability pride “Disability pride came slowly to me, like dawn breaking on a December morning.” (2022, The View from Down Here)

'Being grabbed, pushed or touched without warning is terrifying when you can’t see' (2022, Mirror)

What Does it Mean to Forge a Body? Autonomy through Disability Cures and Gender Transition (2022, Catch these Words)

‘I’m a TV producer’s dream!’ – Rosie Jones on the trouble with being the poster girl for disabled comedy:

“sometimes think I am the ‘perfect amount of disabled’. I am being facetious but hear me out. I look disabled and I sound disabled, but I am not too disabled. I can appear on a panel show without disrupting the whole programme. There’s no need for subtitles, ramps or additional needs. I’m a TV producer’s dream!” (2022, the Guardian)

“No you’re not” collection of profiles of autistic women (2022, Wellcome Collection)

I'm treated differently depending on what kind of wheelchair I use - on the difference between using a manual and powered wheelchair. (2022, Metro)

Unbound an animation reacting to the phrase "wheelchair bound": "my wheels travel the world, and they dance, whirl in light and colour" (subtitles but no visual description, 2021, BBC)

My Life With Dynamic Disabilities: What You Should Know (2021, Refinery29)

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‘They thought they were doing good but it made people worse’: why mental health apps are under scrutiny. (Feb, the Guardian)

Prisoners with severe mental health needs spending months in isolation, report finds. “A prisoner who repeatedly self-harmed spent more than 800 days in segregation, according to a damning report that reveals that jails are using isolation to manage severe mental health needs.” (Jan, the Guardian)

Mad World: The Politics of Mental Health a book by Micha Frazer-Carroll. (2023, Pluto Press)

A toolkit to support understanding and supporting mental health in infancy and early childhood. (2023, UNICEF)

Autistic people are six times more likely to attempt suicide – poor mental health support may be to blame (2022, The Conversation)

The Guardian view on mental health privatisation: unsafe spaces. “Businesses that fail patients while making profit margins of 15%-20% are no substitute for investment in the NHS” (2022, the Guardian)

A critique of digital mental health via assessing the psychodigitalisation of the COVID-19 crisis (2022, Psychotherapy and Politics International)

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Overview

Making Accessible Transport a Priority election manifesto. (Jun, Transport For All)

Calls for government to improve countryside walkways “Ramblers said wheelchair users, some of the elderly, those with pushchairs and dog walkers are hindered by unmaintained gates, stiles, steps and path surfaces, as well as lack of public toilet facilities and seating.” (Apr, BBC)

10 Valuable Lessons I’ve Learned as a Disabled Traveler (Feb, Condé Nast Traveler)

Catching up with Amar Latif, the blind adventurer making the world more inclusive. (2023, Wanderlust)

Are we there yet? Research into disabled people's experiences of transport in England: the barriers we face, and priorities for change.

“We do not have equitable access to any mode of transport, and the impacts of this injustice can be felt in every corner of our lives” (2023)

Hacking the underground a book on disability, infrastructure, and London's Public Transport System. “Centering the voices of disabled passengers, Hacking the Underground highlights how marginalized groups subvert and ultimately transform infrastructures, actively shaping them.” (2023, University of Washington Press)

Accessible Electric Vehicle Charging (2023, Motability)

Blind man and guide dog refused taxis over 30 times. (2022, BBC)

How can electric vehicles be made more accessible to disabled people? (2022, Environment Journal)

‘I have to plan for if I am stranded, if I am dropped, if my chair is damaged’: the perils of travelling while disabled. (2022, the Guardian)

Disabled passengers bearing brunt of travel disruption (2022, the Guardian)

Death of blind man hit by train ruled accident. ‘Matt Stringer, chief executive of the Royal National Institute of Blind People, said the death "was not an isolated incident".’ (2022, BBC) See also other experiences and reflections on access issues at train stations.

Disabled campaigners are to thank for accessibility on the Elizabeth Line “A decade ago, Transport for All campaigned hard for the Line to be accessible, and were successful in securing £33 million additional investment to make this happen” (2022, Transport for All) The Elizabeth Line will make a big difference for me in getting across London. Can't wait to try it out.

What makes an EV charging station accessible for people with disabilities? (2022, WhichEV)

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Air Travel

Paralympian leads effort to improve travel for disabled people. The Aviation Accessibility Task and Finish Group, announced by the government, will work to make flying accessible for all "from booking to baggage claim". (Nov, BBC)

Hooray, We Have More Disabled Passengers! “With an increase of 21% in assistance requests at UK airports, it's clear that older and disabled people are a growing customer group.” (Aug, The Accessible Link)

Sophie Morgan’s Fight to Fly review – the degradation of disabled people is jaw-dropping. Watch the documentary on Channel 4. (Jul, the Guardian)

From Zero to Heathrow what different airports in the UK charge airlines for persons with reduced mobility, and how it relates to quality of provision. “Considering the ratings, it's clear that a decent PRM charge is very likely linked to a "very good" service performance.” (Mar, Accessible Link)

British Airways improves accessibility for deaf passengers “Changes being implemented include new signed video content containing various helpful travel information being made available to customers both pre-travel and while onboard.” (2023, Aerotime Hub)

New report highlights accessibility issues with airline websites “Key findings from the report highlight that there is overall room for improvement across the board, with a lack of consistent, ongoing consumer research from airlines.” (2023, Civil Aviation Authority)

Disabled flyers angry at airline 'double charging'. “Nearly 30 carriers contacted by the BBC said passengers with mobility problems must purchase a full-price ticket for a personal care assistant (PA).” (2023, BBC)

Heathrow failed to meet minimum accessibility standards, a regulator ratings of UK airports. (2023, the Guardian)

Government pledges change for air travel after #RightsOnFlights campaign. (2023, Disability Rights UK)

Rights on Flights: the new campaign seeking to make air travel more accessible. Exchange with Sophie Morgan. (2023, National Geographic)

Airlines can’t be trusted with disabled people’s wheelchairs. (2023, Tortoise)

A campaign for Rights on flights it’s time for the air travel industry to take Disabled people seriously. (2023, Disability Rights UK)

Heathrow and other airports criticised by watchdog after disabled passengers missed summer flights. (2022, the Guardian)

Airports must stop failing disabled passengers, says UK regulator. (2022, the Guardian)

How airline Apps let down blind passengers “Only one major UK airline’s App works with screenreaders for the blind” (2022, Which)

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Overview

The Big Picture: Behind the Social Model a illustration in comic form, by Hatiye Garip. (Sep, We are Unlimited)

Persons with Albinism and their right to health, education and employment in the UK. (Link to pdf, May, UN Independent Expert on Albinism)

An “ongoing assault on Disabled people's rights” a letter from disability organisations. (May, Disability Rights UK)

What was it like being at the UN Committee on the Rights of Disabled People? F*cking frustrating. (Apr, Canary)

UN Committee publishes report on follow-up to 2016 Inquiry

“In its report the Committee has expressed concern that ‘there has been no significant progress for disabled people throughout the UK concerning their right to living independently and being included in the community’. It describes some reforms and policies that had been undertaken to provide financial support, accessible housing, and transport, as inadequate considering the cost-of-living crisis.” (Apr, ECNI)

Government’s response to UN committee ‘was insult to disabled people’ (Mar, Disability News Service)

30th Session of the CRPD Committee (Mar, OHCHR)

Government's latest disability awareness campaign forgets where negative attitudes came from. (2023, Mirror)

UK Ministry of Justice Treats People with Disabilities as an Afterthought: "Human Rights Act Consultation Exercise Fails Fully to Include People with Disabilities". (2022, Human Rights Watch)

High Court declares National Disability Strategy unlawful due to inadequate consultation (2022, Bindmans)

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Assisted Dying and Euthanasia

A group of disability rights campaigners urge MPs to back assisted dying bill, “in solidarity with terminally ill people who want to have the option of an assisted death”. (Oct, Guardian)

‘I’m fighting for the right to live’: Liz Carr on acting, friendship and her campaign against assisted dying. (May, the Guardian)

Liz Carr says assisted dying would pose a threat to disabled people - is she right? Disabled academic Tom Shakespeare counters that the UK discussion is limited to those that are terminally ill. “Assisted dying allows them control over the manner and timing of their death.” (May, Express)

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Elections watchdog criticises political parties for failing on accessible manifestos. (Nov, Disability News Service)

House of Commons has many more disabled MPs than previously thought based on the data that “43 out of a total of 650 MPs had discussed the possibility of having disability-related adjustments made for them”. (Aug, Disability News Service)

Does Starmer’s promise of real change include me? “I know many say we have to be patient, and that change will come. But my kids face empty food cupboards on a weekly basis.” (Jul, the Guardian)

Disabled activists pledge ‘no hiding place’ for Labour’s new government “more than 100 protesters gathered opposite the House of Commons to call for action to address the damage caused by 14 years of Conservative rule.” (Jul, Disability News Service)

New disabled MP pledges to fight for inclusive education “Dr Marie Tidball also wants to play a part in increasing the number of disabled people in parliament, fight to improve inclusive mainstream education, and improve healthcare for disabled people.” (Jul, Disability News Service)

There should be over 100 disabled MPs, but there are barely any. UK politics has a huge accessibility problem. “Disabled candidates at all levels of politics report overt and implicit discrimination from their parties, other politicians and the public.” (Jun, the Guardian)

General Election campaign fails to be accessible for Disabled people. (Jun, Disability Rights UK)

Discrimination is holding disabled politicians back – and I’ve seen it first hand

‘The long-serving MP for Harlow, Rob Halfon, who is himself disabled and standing down at this election, said “parliament is probably the worst place to work in the world if you have a disability”.’ (Jun, Big Issue)

Disability Scorecard Results “a tool designed to help you compare the commitments of major political parties in the UK to the demands outlined in the Disabled People’s Manifesto.” (Jun, DPO Forum)

Polling day is dehumanising, says blind voter. (Jun, BBC)

Election debate for deaf and disabled community praised (Jun, BBC)

MP Craig Mackinlay returns to Commons after having hands and feet amputated (May, the Guardian)

Thousands of disabled people lost their vote at local elections, reports suggest. (2023, Disability News Service)

MP with cerebral palsy has been mocked and accused of being drunk. (2023, Independent)

‘I’ve always felt these spaces were ours’: disability activism and austerity capitalism, reflections on an interview with Disabled People Against the Cuts. (2023, City)

Disabled People's Manifesto “We urge the next UK Government to institute a radical reform programme, to tackle disablist policy making and systemic oppression and injustice, to create a society where everyone has equal life chances and is valued and treated equally.” (2023, DPO Forum)

Breaking down Barriers: a report on Improving Disabled Representation & Participation (2022, Disability Policy Centre)

‘Deaf’ Liz Truss – a curious choice of insult reflecting on the Russian Foreign Minister's comments. (2022, Limping Chicken)

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Disability dating sites: we round up the best. “Today’s disability dating sites are more than just matchmaking platforms; they are inclusive communities that provide a safe and supportive environment for individuals to connect.” (Mar, Disability Horizons)

Disability, Sexuality and Consent: How Activists Are Reshaping the Narrative. Beautifully illustrated exploration of relationships, care, legal frameworks and community. (2023, NYT)

Dating as a disabled woman made me miserable, so I'm building a life without romantic love (2023, iNews)

Do accessible sex toys exist? Podcast (no transcript, 2022, BBC)

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How To Use The Paralympics To Talk To Kids About Limb Differences (Aug, HuffPost UK Parenting)

Jodie Grinham, 7 months pregnant, wins bronze in archery at Paralympics (Aug, The Athletic)

A new start after 60: “I was partially paralysed by a stroke – and it felt like hell. Then I found a new sport, family and future.” (Jun, the Guardian)

Newcastle United introduce 'sound shirts' for deaf fans (Apr, BBC)

Paralympic Flame to be created at Stoke Mandeville for all future Paralympic Games (2023, International Paralympic Committee)

Interrupted views, undignified facilities: challenges for disabled football fans. (2023, the Guardian)

“I want motorsport to be accessible for disabled people.” (2023, RedBull)

Did the Paralympic games change things for disabled people? The legacy ten years on. (2022, Spirit of 2012)

Activity levels among disabled people have failed to return to pre-Covid levels (2022, the Guardian)

‘Stare at me because I deserve to be stared at’: Lauren Steadman and the evolution of representation at the Paralympics (2022, the 19th)

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What Are You Looking At? Ableist Abuse in Public Spaces. (2023, Disability Visibility Project)

An uphill battle from day one: “Non-disabled women are twice as likely as disabled women to have the person they accuse of rape charged or summonsed.” (2023, Now Then Magazine)

Kaylea Titford’s parents jailed for manslaughter after daughter died in ‘conditions unfit for any animal’. (2023, the Guardian)

Formal support needs of disabled adult victim survivors of sexual violence. A qualitative research report. (2023, Ministry of Justice)

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Evacuating or Leaving Ukraine

Ukrainian refugee family with disabled son denied accessible house by East Renfrewshire Council (2023, STV News)

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